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LinkLine
A Newsletter for BSD SoftLink ® Customers and Friends
WINTER 2002-2003
CHECK-OUT FEATURE SPEEDS EDITING
In SpecLink+ and PerSpective, individual
documents can now be “checked-out.”
Check-out temporarily suspends the linking
between documents, greatly increasing the
speed of editing operations. When the project is stored on a server, the checked-out
chapter or section is temporarily copied to
your local drive, which also improves
editing speed.
To “check out” a section in SpecLink or a
chapter in PerSpective, you open the project
and click on the document to be edited. Then
from the Document menu, you choose Check
Out | Check In, and then Check Out Document. After you click OK on a confirmation
message, the software makes a temporary
copy of the document on the local drive, and
the tree panel closes.
For multi-user situations, a related new feature marks chapters and sections as “in use”
when they are being edited. This happens
whether that document has been checked-out
or not. You will not be able to edit documents that are “in use” by someone else.
While the document is checked out, it is
independent of the project and links to and
from other documents in the project are
temporarily suspended. Other documents
from the project can be opened while you are
editing a checked-out document, and text
can be copied from them into your checkedout document.
The features offer speed enhancements,
prevent multiple users from attempting to
edit the same section or chapter at the same
time, and also make it easier to store projects
on a server.
Each user can check out only one document
at a time. When editing has been completed,
See “Check-Out” on page 5
NEW MANUFACTURER
FEATURES IN SPECLINK+
One of the new features added to SpecLink
for the winter release is a new requirements
report that lists by section and by product
type all acceptable manufacturers included in
the specifications. We also have added thousands of active hyperlinks to manufacturers’
websites and to the ARCAT website, where
additional manufacturers can be identified.
A third manufacturer-related feature on this
release is the addition of two new proprietary ARCAT SpecWizard sections, which
we have added to the Sample project as
demonstrations of what can be done with
SpecLink’s new Wizard capabilities. All of
these new features are described below.
The new manufacturer report can be found
on the list of Requirements Reports in the
Print dialog box. It’s called Manufacturers
Listed in Project. The report uses the ML
(manufacturer listing) tag to identify paragraphs naming acceptable manufacturers.
Unlike other requirements reports, this one
compiles the actual tagged paragraph text
plus the parent text (to identify product type)
to generate a complete listing for the project
Two SpecLink+ sections marked as “in use,” one of which is also marked “checked-out” by the red key
W E ’ RE M OVING !
Table of
Contents
Check-Out Speeds Editing .
New Manufacturer Features
in SpecLink+ .......................
We’re Moving! .....................
CostLink/AE Interview ........
About Your SpecLink
& PerSpective Updates ......
Q&A ....................................
New Additions at BSD ........
Training Schedule ...............
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7
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We’re very excited to report that Building
Systems Design will be moving to new
offices in late December. Our new space is in
Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead neighborhood,
which is north of our current location in
midtown. Visitors to our new office will find
it is very conveniently situated, with many
hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues
within walking distance. It is also three
blocks from the Buckhead MARTA station,
so visitors will be able to take the train from
Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport and can avoid car
rentals and expensive taxi rides.
See “Manufacturers” on page 2
Our new space has been custom-designed for
us, and we are looking forward to a more
efficient layout. The new training room will
have specially built furniture with adjustable
keyboard trays and a ceiling-mounted
projector system. We’ll also have a centrally
located library that will be convenient for
everyone. Our telephone numbers will
remain the same, and our address as of
December 30 will be as follows:
Building Systems Design, Inc.
3520 Piedmont Road, NE
Suite 415
Atlanta, GA 30305
they were added. Editing a
master paragraph to
change the name of a
manufacturer, or copying
a master paragraph before
editing it, will result in a
user-added manufacturer
that is already tagged
correctly.
Excerpt of a SpecLink+ Manufacturer Listing report
“Manufacturers” from page 1
by section. Since all manufacturers in
SpecLink have already been tagged, the
reports are immediately available, even on
projects that are underway or already
completed.
However, manufacturers added by users may
or may not be tagged, depending on how
Other paragraphs can be
tagged ML by clicking in
the paragraph and then
choosing the ML tag from
the Tags button dropdown list. To see if a
paragraph is already
tagged, turn on the Tags
status column, which is
available from the View menu.
In earlier releases of SpecLink, we added
manufacturers’ website addresses to the
master text whenever we were able to identify a website. These addresses were not live
and required you to open Explorer and enter
the address or copy and paste it from
SpecLink in order to go to the website. In
this Winter release, live hyperlinks have
been added in the master note attached to
each manufacturer listing. Now, all you have
to do to visit the website of a manufacturer
listed in SpecLink is to click on the hyperlink in the corresponding master note.
Over 1,800 manufacturer hyperlinks were
added in this release, and the links lead
directly to the manufacturers listed, instead
of to an intermediate website. In addition,
hundreds of hyperlinks to ARCAT’s website
have been added at the Manufacturer
headings in Part 2 of most product sections,
allowing you to easily find other
manufacturers for most product types.
The new SpecWizard sections added to the
Sample project are sections 05515JSL and
15062MIR. These were originally prepared
for ARCAT’s website and are now available
in SpecLink, in a slightly modified form.
In essence, the SpecWizard consists of a
short checklist that precedes the master
specification text. All the paragraphs in the
SpecWizard are tagged either as NS (nonselectable) or NP (non-printing). None of
these specially tagged paragraphs will print
with the resulting specification section. The
See “Manufacturers” on page 5
An Interview With ...
F○ ○RED
ANGELO , NCARB, OF A NGELO ARCHITECTURE
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Fred Angelo, a SpecLink subscriber since
1997, became BSD’s first CostLink/AE
subscriber in September. BSD CostLink/AE
is our new project budgeting and cost
estimating system developed especially for
design professionals.
Angelo Architecture, located in Tacoma,
Washington, primarily designs governmental
or office projects, but project types cover a
broad range from commercial retail centers
to tenant improvement projects, public
facility remodels, and urban design and
planning.
What Fred likes best about CostLink/AE is
how intuitive it is to use. According to Fred,
“Using one of the templates provided, an
architect can systematically go through a
building, dropping in systems without
leaving a lot of holes in the estimate.” He
also likes the overall look and feel of the
program. Fred has found that the R.S. Means
data bundled with the software has a good
selection of systems, which he feels is pretty
complete for the most part. He thinks that the
Means costs may be a little high for his area,
but then he has that cushion in the estimate,
so he doesn’t really mind that. The markups
feature in the software could also be used to
add a negative adjustment, if desired.
The 7,000 assemblies included in CostLink/
AE comprise multiple line items, with their
relative quantities already computed. This
feature greatly simplifies the preparation of a
cost estimate by significantly reducing the
number of items in the estimate and
minimizing the number of takeoffs. For
example, the square foot cost of a slab on
grade assembly includes costs for earthwork,
fill, vapor barrier, formwork, expansion
joint, welded wire fabric, concrete, concrete
placement, concrete finishing, and curing.
CostLink/AE also includes 20,000 line item
costs, allowing you to easily add items not
included in the assemblies. Both assembly
costs and line item costs can simply be
dragged from their database locations and
dropped into the appropriate folder in the
cost estimate. According to Fred, the drag
and drop feature is what makes preparation
of the estimate so simple.
Because the software is so new, Fred has not
yet completed any projects using CostLink/
AE, but he has five in progress. We are as
excited as he is about comparing his final
estimates to the bids that will be received on
these projects.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
2
ABOUT YOUR SPECLINK & PERSPECTIVE UPDATES
SPECL INK+ S TATISTICS :
PERSPECTIVE S TATISTICS:
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724 sections total, 209 updated or new (29%)
443 generic sections, 137 updated (31%)
282 proprietary sections, 72 updated or new (25%)
10 new proprietary sections (see synopses)
111,222 paragraphs
118,054 internal links (targets and consequences)
18,064 notes to specifier
2,684 notes with live hyperlinks to Internet web pages
1,831 manufacturer listings with live hyperlinks to
manufacturers’ web addresses in notes
167 standards organizations referenced, 108 verified (65%)
1,979 external documents referenced, 346 verified (17%)
80 new or updated documents
14 documents removed or replaced by different documents
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179 chapters total, 6 updated (3%)
25,965 paragraphs
29,475 internal links (targets and consequences)
4,094 notes to specifier
75 standards organizations referenced, 23 verified (31%)
600 external documents referenced, 48 verified (8%)
14 new or updated documents
4 documents removed or replaced by different documents
MANUFACTURER S TATISTICS (SPEC LINK+ ONLY):
•
1,831 live manufacturer URL’s
Generic
Proprietary
Manufacturers Listed ............................. 862 ................... 200
Sections Listed In ................................... 330 ................... 278
Instances of Listings ........................... 1,351 ................... 284
N EW S PEC L INK S ECTION S YNOPSES
05400 DIE - COLD-FORMED METAL FRAMING:
091100 DIE - NON-LOADBEARING WALL FRAMING:
Dietrich Metal Framing; load-bearing studs, joists, runner tracks,
etc., for walls, floors and roofs, exterior and interior, fire-rated
shaftwall and area separation wall assemblies. Dietrich provides total
light gage design services through its design services group, Dietrich
Design Group. www.dietrichmetalframing.com
Dietrich Metal Framing; non-load-bearing framing for partitions,
shaftwall, stair walls, and area separation walls.
www.dietrichmetalframing.com
06414 GAI - CABINET HINGES AND DRAWER SLIDES:
Grass America Inc.; cabinet hardware, including hinges, drawer
slides, and accessories. www.grassusa.com
07435 CEP - COMPOSITE ARCHITECTURAL BUILDING PANELS:
CEP Claddings; Petrarch & Fasset architectural panels, which are
composite sheets made by incorporating natural slate and stone
fillers in a resin binder with chopped fiberglass strand reinforcement.
The panels are completely homogeneous, highly consolidated, with
through color. www.petrarchcladdings.com
07445 STF - AGGREGATE FACED ARCHITECTURAL BUILDING PANELS:
Stoneflex Inc.; glass fiber reinforced polyester resin architectural
wall panels that are built up to provide a surface finish of natural
stone aggregate, then oven cured. www.stoneflexinc.com
07729 BGR - SNOW GUARDS:
Berger Bros Co.; snow guards designed to prevent snow or ice from
avalanching all at once off the roof, causing damage to property and
pedestrians below. Snow guards are available in aluminum, bronze,
clear polycarbonate, and in a wide variety of stamped patterns and
ornamental castings. www.bergerbros.com.
09660 _3M - STATIC CONTROL FLOORING:
3M; ESD vinyl floor tile and liquid applied epoxy flooring. This
specification includes two different types of static control permanent
flooring: 1) 3M static control (“ESD”) vinyl floor tile, Series 8400,
for conventional installations,
raised flooring, and welded
seam applications, and 2) 3M
static control (“ESD”) liquid
A BSD SoftLink ® Publication
epoxy flooring, Series 8900.
www.3m.com/ehpd/flooring
Editor: Cathi Greenwood
LinkLine
09800 GOL - ACOUSTICAL
TREATMENT:
Golterman & Sabo; wall panels,
ceiling products, sound diffusers
and reflectors.
www.golterman.com
10705 ARQ - EXTERIOR SUN
CONTROL DEVICES:
Arquati USA; rolling sunscreen
and blackout/room darkening
shades; exterior and interior.
www.arquatiusa.com
08745 RCI - ELECTRICAL LOCKING CONTROL:
Rutherford Controls Int’l Corp.; electromagnetic locks, electric
strikes, switches and actuators. www.rutherfordcontrols.com
The LinkLine is published by
Building Systems Design, Inc.
3520 Piedmont Road
Suite 415
Atlanta GA 30305
Permission to use excerpts in
other publications is granted
provided the publisher is notified
in advance at 404-876-4700.
BSD SpecLink, BSD CostLink and BSD
SoftLink are registered trademarks,
and BSD CadLink and BSD LinkMan
are all trademarks of Building Systems
Design, Inc.
Get the latest on BSD by visiting
our web page at
www.bsdsoftlink.com
See “About Update” on page 4
3
“About Update” from page 3
N OTABLE N EW S TANDARDS
the application and use of specific fire protection systems are
also covered by this section.
NFPA 5000 - BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND SAFETY CODE:
The National Fire Protection Association has published the inaugural
edition of their new building code to accompany their many other
well accepted standards. In essence, NFPA did not agree with the
International Code Council (ICC) about what was the best next
generation of building code and therefore developed their own, in
competition with the new ICC International Codes. It remains to be
seen how the battle for a single consolidated code will end. NFPA
5000 has been approved by ANSI as an American National Standard.
NFPA has this to say about NFPA 5000:
NFPA 5000 is the first model building code developed
through full and open consensus-based procedures accredited
by the American National Standards Institute. ...In developing
the building code, NFPA’s Building Code Project endeavored
to be responsive to the needs of the enforcement, user, and
design communities and to be consistent with the other
principles of code development that NFPA adheres to ...
NFPA 5000 is coordinated with the following other code documents,
which together form the Comprehensive Consensus Code (C3) code
set:
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NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (NEC)
NFPA 101, Life Safety Code
NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code (which integrates NFPA 1, Fire
Prevention Code with the Uniform Fire Code)
IAPMO Uniform Plumbing Code
NFPA 58, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code
NFPA 54, National Fuel Gas Code
IAPMO’s Uniform Mechanical Code
NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code
NFPA 30A, Code for Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities and
Repair Garages
ASHRAE standards 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except
Low-Rise Residential Buildings, and 90.2, Energy-Efficient
Design of New Low-Rise Residential Buildings (which will
eventually be incorporated into the proposed NFPA 900)
NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, was a fundamental starting
point for the content as well as the format and arrangement of
NFPA 5000. ...NFPA 5000 also covers a range of subjects,
For more information about NFPA 5000, including a free on-line
including allowable building heights and areas based upon
preview, go to www.nfpa.org.
occupancy and construction; protection schemes for vertical
openings; means of egress; and the rehabilitation of
existing buildings. Another primary section of the Code
NFPA 5000 AND SPECLINK:
provides specific requirements for individual
In SpecLink, there are few references to codes by name — in most cases,
occupancies. ... These chapters largely mimic and
where appropriate, the contractor is instructed to comply with the
replicate the occupancies that have been established by
“applicable building code.” Therefore, NFPA 5000 will have little effect on
other NFPA codes and standards for many years.
SpecLink specs, unless it becomes adopted by a large number of
Structural design provisions are established in the next
jurisdictions and contains significantly different product and material
set of six chapters. The basis for these criteria was
requirements. We will be monitoring the situation.
derived from numerous sources, including the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Federal
NFPA 5000 AND PERSPECTIVE:
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The allNFPA 5000 has been added as another code option besides the three
hazard design provisions for NFPA 5000 are rounded
traditional model codes (BOCA, ICBO, and SBCCI) and the new ICC
International Codes. In Chapter 111, Facility Performance, the applicable
out with the use of criteria that include elements for a
national, State/Province, and city codes should be listed, to define the
range of design loads and natural hazards.
The materials allowed by NFPA 5000 for use for
construction purposes are described in the next group of
chapters. For the most part, these requirements make
reference to industry and engineering standards for
particular materials. Many of the material specifications
and standards used form the basis for the construction
industry in the United States and are thus compatible for
use in building codes throughout the country.
The last section of the Code governs a broad range of
building systems and features. The criteria consist of
everything concerning the interior environment, from
energy efficiency to mechanical, electrical, and
plumbing systems. In addition, the requirements for
conveying systems, such as elevators and escalators, and
4
meaning of the term “code” where it appears elsewhere in the documents.
NFPA 5000 has been added to the list of code options for State/Province
and city codes.
In addition, NFPA 5000 has been added to the list of options for “NonRegulatory Criteria Documents”. This category of “codes” is for use in
the event that there is no legally enacted code applicable to the project.
Because PerSpective’s entire performance concept is dependent on
referencing a body of fundamental criteria equivalent to a model code, if
there are no regulatory codes at least one of the model codes must be
selected as the primary criteria document. The ICC International Building
Code and NFPA 5000 are now the two model codes to choose from as
non-regulatory criteria documents. Some other NFPA standards (e.g. the
Life Safety Code and the National Electrical Code) are also included (and
have been since first publication of PerSpective) because they are
commonly referenced basic criteria documents as well as commonly
adopted by local jurisdictions.
STEEL JOISTS:
FEDERAL & MILITARY SPECIFICATIONS & STANDARDS:
The definitive standard on steel joists, the SJI Catalog Of Standard
Specifications And Load Tables For Steel Joists And Joist Girders,
by the Steel Joist Institute, has been updated and reissued in 2002.
As well as the specifications and standards for K-, LH-, and DLHSeries joists and Joist Girders, this revised document includes:
For some years, the federal government has had an initiative to
replace Federal Specifications (FS) and Standards (FED-STD, FTM)
and military specifications (MIL) and standards (MIL-STD) with
commercial or industry-accepted standards. This process is taking a
very long time, as the agencies review their existing standards and
attempt, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, to find replacements for
them. In SpecLink and PerSpective, there are only a handful of
Federal Specs still referenced and we expect that each quarter there
will be fewer available. In most cases, even where the agency
cancelling the standard has not designated a superceding document,
we have been able to find voluntary standards by other organizations
to use instead. Two long-referenced standards were removed this
quarter.
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conformance to the new OSHA steel erection standards,
new section covering Joist Substitutes,
included copy of OSHA Steel Erection Standard §1926.757 on
open web steel joists,
new appendix defining SJI bay lengths.
A detailed listing of all changes is included immediately following
the table of contents. This document is available free of charge, in
.pdf format, at www.steeljoist.org.
WINDOW CLEANING EQUIPMENT:
ANSI/IWCA I-14.1, Window Cleaning Safety Standard, was first
published in 2001. According to IWCA (International Window
Cleaning Association), this standard is a:
...guide for window cleaners, regulatory agencies, architects
and building owners. Part A focuses on safety guidelines for
the use of window cleaning access equipment. Part B is
geared toward those who manufacture, design or install the
equipment. Access equipment addressed in the Standard
includes rope descending systems, transportable and
permanent scaffolds, ladders and man-lifts.
This standard performs the function of the former ANSI/ASME
A39.1 - Safety Requirements for Window Cleaning, which has been
out-of-print for several years. Do not reference ASME A39.1 - it is
not available. For more information, go to www.iwca.org.
BITUMINOUS “PAINT”:
Federal Specification TT-C-494, Coating Compound, Bituminous,
Solvent Type, Acid Resistant, has been cancelled. References in
SpecLink to bituminous coating or mastic used to separate dissimilar
metals or to separate aluminum from cementitious materials have
been changed to ASTM D 4479, Standard Specification for Asphalt
Roof Coatings - Asbestos-Free. To obtain a copy of ASTM D 4479,
go to www.astm.org.
WALL COVERING:
Federal Spec CCC-W-408, Wall Covering, Vinyl-Coated, has been
cancelled. Although ASTM F 793, Standard Classification of
Wallcovering by Durability Characteristics, which was derived from
CCC-W-408, was first published in 1982, wall covering
manufacturers have continued to reference the Federal Spec because
specifiers have continued to include it in specifications. CCC-W-408
Type I is equivalent to ASTM F 793 Category IV, Type II to
Category V, and Type III to Category VI. To obtain a copy of ASTM
F 793, go to www.astm.org.
“Check-Out” from page 1
“Manufacturers” from page 2
the document must be checked in to update
the links and allow other users to access it.
NS paragraphs also are not selectable. They
are automatically selected by relevant links
from the selectable (but non-printing)
paragraphs in the checklist. Ultimately, links
connect the checklist options to the
specification text, resulting in a specification
section that is pre-edited by choices made in
the checklist.
When a document has been checked out by
one user, other users will see the document
title grayed out in the tree, with a red key
replacing the status box. In addition, the tree
will display a message identifying the person
who has the document checked out.
If one person is editing a document without
checking it out of the project, other users
will see the identity of the user and the
grayed out title, but the red key will be
absent.
These new features assure the integrity of
individual documents on networks with
multiple users. In addition, they will benefit
all users by significantly improving software
speed. We hope you like them.
Perhaps the most dramatic feature of the
SpecWizards, is the information that appears
in the notes attached to many of the checklist
paragraphs. These HTML files include
photos, diagrams, and other graphics that
clearly illustrate the available options.
These two SpecWizards have been provided
as examples of what can be done in an office
master using SpecLink’s new Wizard
features.
A more complete explanation of how to
build a Wizard can be found in Chapter 11 of
the SpecLink user manual on the SoftLink
CD-ROM.
We look forward to hearing your reactions to
these latest innovations. We hope you find
them useful and easy to use.
More questions?
Contact BSD Technical Support:
Toll Free: 800-266-7732
In Atlanta: 404-876-0052
Email: support@bsdsoftlink.com
5
them, double-click on the folder or task to
open the item form, then use backspace or
delete to remove the line break where you
had pressed Enter.
Is it possible to include my
company’s logo on the reports?
ALL PRODUCTS
Last quarter, there was an interim
release for the BSD product I use. Do
I need to install that again after I install my
update?
No. The update CD you just received
includes the interim release, plus new
software enhancements. Do not install any
interim releases over the current update,
unless you are otherwise directed by BSD
Technical Support.
How can I find out what has changed
in the software on this update CD?
Read the release notes. You can open
the release notes by going to the
Install Products screen on the update CD and
clicking the link for the Release Notes under
the product you have.
I copied a project by choosing Copy
or Copy Database from the File
menu. Now when I click the Open button,
the new file is not listed. Why isn’t it there,
and how do I open it?
When you click the Open button, the
Recently Used dialog box opens.
Since you have never actually opened the
newly copied project before, it has not been
‘used’ on this computer. To open the project,
click the Browse button. The standard
Windows Open dialog box will open,
allowing you to navigate to the new project,
select, and open it from wherever you have it
saved.
BSD COSTL INK/AE & COST LINK /CM
I created a new folder or task and the
name of it has two bold vertical bars
in it (||). What is that?
If you press Enter while typing the
name of a folder or task, the result
will be two bold vertical bars where you
pressed Enter. If you would like to remove
6
To insert a logo into the standard
reports, rename the logo to logo.bmp,
logo.jpg, or logo.gif, and place that file into
your CostLink CM (or CostLink
AE)\System\Reports folder. The logo will
automatically print in the top right corner of
your reports.
What is the difference between the
Project Title and the Report Header?
The Project Title is entered on the
General tab of the Project Summary
Info dialog box along with an optional
project number, description, and the names
of the Architect, Engineer, and Estimator. All
of this information prints on the title page of
your estimate, and the Project Title also
prints in the header of each page of your
report.
The Report Header is entered in the Reports
Setup dialog box as an optional name to
distinguish your report from other reports of
the same project. For instance, you may print
a report when the project design is only 65%
complete and want to note that on your
printout. When you print the final report at
100% complete, you would change the
Report Header to reflect this.
How can I email my CostLink/CM or
CostLink/AE reports to someone who
does not have CM or AE?
report button on the toolbar. Choose PDF,
Excel, Word, or Rich Text Format. Follow
the onscreen directions including entering a
file name and location. Once the export is
complete, you can email the exported files as
attachments.
BSD SPECLINK + & PERSPECTIVE
When I try to paste or import text
from my word processor into my
specification, I often get an error message
“Importing the data currently in clipboard
would create a gap in levels. Import from
clipboard operation aborted.” What does this
mean?
When text is imported from your
word processor, SpecLink or
PerSpective assigns levels to the paragraphs.
The levels determine paragraph formatting
and numbering style.
The software determines what level each
paragraph should be in SpecLink or
PerSpective using the degree of indentation.
The indents can be created by tab characters,
left indent formats, and first line indent
formats.
Before you paste or import the text in
SpecLink or PerSpective, you place your
cursor in the paragraph that should follow
the pasted or imported text. A paragraph
right next to the margin in your word
processor will import at the same level as the
paragraph where you placed your cursor. A
paragraph with a single tab indent will
import one level lower. However, if the
paragraph has a two tab indent, this would
tell the text to import at two levels lower hence, a gap in levels.
Export the report(s) to a PDF file,
Excel file, Word file, or Rich Text
Format file. PDF files can be opened on any
computer using Acrobat Reader and cannot
be edited easily. Excel files can be edited in
Excel, but keep in mind that the formulas are
not exported; just the final report text and
numbers will be in the Excel file. Word files
can be edited in Word, and Rich Text Format
files can be opened and edited in any word
processor.
To import the text, change the indentation to
avoid such gaps. In addition to checking the
indents on your text, check for right-aligned
and center-aligned paragraphs, as well as
negative indents. All these formats can cause
problems with importing or pasting text from
your word processor.
To export your reports, Print Preview a
report that you would like to email. In the
Print Preview window, click on the export
You can copy and paste symbols from
Windows’ Character Map. The
Character Map can usually be opened by
Is there any way to include a degree
symbol or other special characters in
my specification?
choosing Start | Programs | Accessories |
System Tools | Character Map, but is located
in different places in different versions of
Windows. If you cannot locate the character
map, open Windows Explorer and search the
Help Topics. Once you open the Character
Map, choose the font you are using in
SpecLink+ or PerSpective from the Font list,
and scroll through all the characters until
you find the one you need. Use the Character
Map’s Copy command to copy it to the
Windows clipboard. Then Paste it into
SpecLink+ or PerSpective.
How can I globally change the font in
my specification?
Go to the Tools menu and select
Customize Styles. Click on the Fonts
tab and then click on the Fonts button to the
right of each level. You can change the Font,
Style, and Size in this box. This will change
the font for the text within each section.
To change the font in the headers and
footers, choose View | Show Header/Footer,
highlight the header and footer text one line
at a time and choose the font from the
toolbar in the Customize Header/Footer
dialog box.
I have noticed tags in the T column
that are not on the list that opens from
the Tags button. What are those other tags?
Tags that are not listed on the Tags
button are ones that are used just by
BSD for our master database. To satisfy your
curiousity, KW means keyword, MT is for
manufacturer list titles, and UM is an
obsolete tag that has been replaced by the
new ML tag.
There are actually two new tags: ML for
Manufacturer listing, described in the article
on Page 1, and the tag SQ is for Source
Quality Control paragraphs that usually
appear near the end of Part 2.
The names of several chapter or
section titles are pink or magenta in
my Tree panel. What does that mean?
In short, it means the project has not
been completely updated. The
software automatically marks any section or
chapter that has not been completely updated
to the latest master by turning the document
title magenta. To update the whole project,
go to the Tools menu, select Update to
Master, then select Update Project and click
the Update button. You can also update only
certain sections by selecting Update Section,
selecting the sections you want to update,
and clicking the Update button. Once the
sections are updated, the titles in the tree
panel turn black.
Note that SpecLink does not require that you
update a project; there can be many
legitimate reasons for not updating. The
magenta titles simply act as a reminder that
those sections contain obsolete data. You can
open any of these sections at any time to see
which paragraphs have been affected by
updates, and you can view the individual
paragraph changes before updating them.
You can also print a report that lists every
paragraph in your project affected by
updates. For more detail on updating, see
Chapter 12 in the updated User Manual on
the latest BSD SoftLink CD-ROM.
BSD’s Latest Additions ... NEW EMPLOYEES
Three new employees have joined BSD
recently, and we would like to introduce
them to you.
Amanda Bettandorff is our new receptionist
and fulfillment manager. She has a BA from
Agnes Scott College and is currently
working on a Masters in History and Library
Science at Georgia State University. An
Atlanta resident for the past five years, she
shares her home with an iguana named
Molson and her cat Natasha. Amanda played
varsity tennis in college and studied abroad
in Toulouse, France. In her free time,
Amanda enjoys playing tennis, volunteering
with the Girl Scouts, and studying French
and Italian to complement her love of travel.
Niki Koplowitz and Laura
Gemmell are new
administrative assistants
specializing in specifications
support. They will be doing
much of the legwork for the
quarterly updating of
PerSpective and SpecLink,
validating product
information and reference
standards and collecting
updated material for BSD’s
specification writers.
Niki went to school for Civil
Engineering, but, apart from
selling AutoCAD, has done many entirely
unrelated things, including a stint as a
paralegal. She is happy to be back in a
technical field. She moved to Atlanta from
New Jersey three years ago, along with her
husband, young daughter, and cat. When not
working, she spends her time reading,
writing, working on her saltwater reef tank,
practicing aikido, and trying hard to root for
the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team.
Laura has a BA degree in English from the
University of Georgia with a business and
technical writing emphasis. She has
previously worked with the enrollment and
registration services department of a local
college and as a sales coordinator for a major
computer software firm. After many moves
all over the country, she has lived in Atlanta
for the last six years and is happy to call it
home. Laura lives with her husband and their
two ‘“never-say-die” unnamed fish.
Traveling, reading, windsurfing, and
spending time with family are some of the
things she enjoys most.
New Employees - Amanda Bettandorff, Laura Gemmell, and Niki Koplowitz
7
Training Schedule
BSD SpecLink+
BSD PerSpective
BSD CostLink/CM
1-1/2 days* $495
2 days* $695
3-1/2 days* $1295
January 6-7
February 10-11
March 24-25
April 28-29
June 16-17
July 7-8
August 4-5
January 8-10
February 12-14
March 26-28
April 30 - May 2
June 18-20
July 9-11
August 6-8
January 14-17
March 4-7
April 22-25
June 10-13
August 19-22
AIA Members: Earn 12 Continuing
Education Units
CSI Members: Earn 12 Education Contact
Hours (ECHs) toward your CCS, CCCA,
or CCPR Certification renewal
AIA Members: Earn 16 Continuing
Education Units
CSI Members: Earn 16 Education Contact
Hours (ECHs) toward your CCS, CCCA,
or CCPR Certification renewal
* Class starts at 12:30 PM on Monday
afternoon and ends at 5 PM on Tuesday.
* Class starts at 12:30 PM on Wednesday
afternoon and ends at 12:30 PM on Friday.
Government Contractors: Earn
MCACES Certification.
May qualify for Continuing
Professional Competency credits.
* Class starts at 8 AM on Tuesday morning
and ends at 11:30 AM on Friday.
View BSD class schedules on our website!
Go to www.bsdsoftlink.com and click the
Training link. Get directions and
information on travel, hotels, and Atlanta!
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
LinkLine
3520 Piedmont Road
Suite 415
Atlanta, GA 30305
ATLANTA, GA
PERMIT NO. 6613